What Will It Take!
by kathleenrose747
Summary: Mark decides to put himself back on the market after a chance meeting. But is there more to this story than meets the eye? MarkiplierxOC


Title: What Will It Take?

Rating: M (for swearing and… stuff… in later chapters)

Pairing: Markiplier/OC

**Chapter 1: Worth the Risk**

"Morning starshine! Wakey wakey!" Mark held the phone from his head to see who was waking him up at the unholy hour of six am.

"Dan… you do know how late I was up last night, right?" Mark groaned as he rolled into his pillow.

"You also know what time Wade and company's flight gets into LAX, right?" Dan chuckled as Arin yelled nonsense in the background.

"Aw, shit! Thanks buddy." Mark flipped the covers and scrambled to find jeans and a shirt in the dark. "Oh, fuck nuggets! It's freezing!"

"Welcome to winter in L.A., my friend." Dan openly laughed at Mark's discomfort. "Also, Mathias wants you to call him for another video discussion when you get a chance."

"I'll add that to my calendar." Mark said as he quickly dressed. "Hey Dan. Can you be a pal and find a drive thru coffee place in my area? I'll need it."

"There's one around the block from you, dude!" Arin said into the speaker. "Just go right out the driveway, one block, make a left and it's on the right. It's a 24 hour joint."

"Thank God for insomniacs." Mark said as he exchanged goodbyes with the Grumps. He grabbed a piece of toast and headed out the door to his car. When he pulled up to the drive thru, he saw that there wasn't going to be movement for awhile. Should he risk it and walk inside?

"Aw, screw it. It doesn't look too busy inside." Mark pulled into a parking spot and walked inside. Sure enough, there were only a couple people in line. He soon placed his order and went off to the side to wait for it. As he waited, his sleepy brain was awakened by the smell of bergamot and apples. Why was that triggering his brain this early? He discreetly sniffed the air and pinpointed it to a young lady standing off to the side, reading a book. Did he know her? The scent seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it well enough.

"Chai latte for Noelle and coffee for Mark!" the barista called out. The woman looked up from her book and smiled sweetly at the barista, thanking him for the drink. The two chatted about nonsense as Mark picked up his drink and headed out the door.

'_Okay. Talking to the staff generally implies regular attendance. Wonder if I can catch her again?'_ Mark shook his head as he looked at his phone. He had an hour and a half until the flight arrived. With current traffic, he would be lucky to get there in two hours. After sending a text with an approximate time of arrival, he jumped in the car and cranked up the heat before pulling back onto the street. _'Just another normal day.'_

**Later**

"Let the insanity begin!" Wade whooped as he, Bob, Daniel, and Ryan followed Mark into the parking complex.

"No. Let the naps begin." Bob yawned loudly. "I'm going to fall over when I cross that threshold."

"I hear you." Ryan rubbed his eyes as he put his bag in the trunk of the car. "Those plane seats are never comfortable."

"Speak for yourself. I find them quite restful." Mark joked as he started up the car.

"'cause you're a goddamn human pretzel, man. You sleep in positions that shouldn't be possible on planes." Bob said as he sat in the front seat.

"It's that Los Angeles yuppie yoga stuff. Works wonders on the joints." Mark joked.

"You would only go to yoga for the view, man. I know you." Wade joked as the other three strapped into the back seat.

"Hey. I'll have you know yoga is an ancient form of health and self-exploration. Nothing wrong with that." Mark said as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Gimme your dollars, ladies." The guys forked over money to pay the parking guy before they all headed back on the freeway. They chatted about nonsense and editing pains as the miles moved along.

"You seem slightly out of it, Mark. What's up?" Bob said to his friend.

"I just had a weird run in at a coffee place. I could have sworn I knew the person but I couldn't place them."

"This person wouldn't be of the feminine persuasion, would she?" Ryan wiggled his eyebrows in the rearview mirror for Mark to see.

"As a matter of fact, it would be." Mark replied.

"Woah! Seriously? Why didn't you chat her up when you saw her?" Wade said, leaning forward in the seat.

"First off, I couldn't exactly place where I knew her. Secondly, she was talking to someone. I didn't want to interrupt." Mark shook his head. "Anyways. I'm going to try and go to the same coffee shop at the same time tomorrow morning."

"Stop by the coffee place on the way back, by the way. I have editing I need to do and I'm not a daytime sleeper." Ryan said. "Also, do you remember the name they called out for her?"

"Yeah. Noelle. She got her drink just before me." Mark said as he pulled off at the exit. "The coffee place is right over here. Do you just want to hop out or risk the drive-thru?"

"I'll hop out. Any takers?" Ryan took orders and headed into the shop. He soon came out with a carrier of drinks and a huge grin.

"I hate that smile already. What did you do?" Mark groaned.

"Her name is Noelle Teodoro and she will be there tonight at eight o'clock for open mic night. The barista is her cousin on her mom's side." Ryan clapped a hand on Mark's shoulder. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Wait… what was that about tonight?" Mark's brain tried to process what had just occurred.

"She, as in Noelle, will be here, as in this coffee shop, tonight at 8pm." Daniel spelled out. "And we're all going. You'll need the backup."

"If that's the case, we are not touching any hot sauce challenges today." Mark joked as he headed back to his apartment.

"But we had sooooo much fun last time." Ryan deadpanned. "And you lied! That bread did not help!"

"I told you it wouldn't help!" Mark yelled back. The friends jokingly argued as they pulled into Mark's place and headed up to the apartment. Mark wondered if tonight was going to be a mistake, but he knew nothing good happened without risk.

He only hoped putting himself back out there was a risk worth taking.

**End Ch. 1**


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